At the Miraflores Locks, Panama.

Name: Oosterdam
Namesake: The eastern compass point
Operator: Holland America Line
Flag: Netherlands
Port of Register: Rotterdam
Builder: Fincantieri, Marghera, Italy
Yard number: 6076
Laid down: January 16, 2002
Christened: July 27, 2003
Completed: 2003
In service: 2003 – present
Converted: 2009 with extended aft decks

Identification:

Call sign: PBKH
IMO number: 9221281

Class and type: Vista class cruise ship

Tonnage:

DWT: 10.965 GRT: 82.000

LOA: 290 m (950 ft) B: 32.25 m (105.8 ft) Draught: 7.9 m (26 ft)

Decks: 11 passenger decks

Installed power:

3 × Sulzer 16ZAV40S diesel engines 2 × Sulzer 12ZAV40S diesel engines

General Electric LM2500 gas turbine

Propulsion:

Diesel-electric: 2 × ABB Azipod (2 × 17.62 MW)

Speed: 24 knots maximum 22 knots service

Capacity: 2.504 passengers

Crew: 812 crew

Notes: Range is 18 days at 19.5 knots

MS Oosterdam is a cruise ship of Holland America Line, a division of Carnival Corporation. As the second addition to Holland America's Vista class of ships, Oosterdam is sister to MS Noordam, MS Westerdam, and MS Zuiderdam. The ship's name is derived from the Dutch translation for the eastern compass point, and is pronounced "OH-ster-dam."

The ship has been alternating fall/winter cruises along the Mexican Riviera and summer in Alaska. In fall 2011 she visited Hawaii for the first time. However, after January 2012 Holland America dropped Mexico's west coast, in part due to safety concerns there in connection to the Mexican Drug War and in part due to the depressed cruise market in Southern California; the Oosterdam will shift to Hawaii, Australia, and the South Pacific.

Christening

Oosterdam was christened by Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands. The ceremony took place in Holland America Line's founding city, Rotterdam on July 29, 2003. The event was held over three days of celebrations marking the company's 130th anniversary. The joint flagship of the fleet, MS Rotterdam, joined Oosterdam "bow-to-bow" in welcoming her to the fleet.

Technical information

The machinery spaces aboard Oosterdam are vast and extend along two of its lowest decks for the most part of the vessel.

MS Oosterdam is powered by a CODAG propulsion system encompassing five (three 16-cylinder and two 12-cylinder) Sulzer ZAV40S diesel engines (built under license by Grandi Motori Trieste, now owned by Wärtsilä, in Trieste, Italy and a GE LM2500 gas turbine, making it one of only a handful of merchant vessels that is powered by such an arrangement. It is propelled by two 17.62 MW (23956.53 ps), 160rpm synchronous freshwater-cooled ABB Azipod propulsors.

Its two engine rooms are separated by a watertight bulkhead division. Each engine room has its own fuel, lubricating, cooling and electrical distribution systems and is fully independent of the other.

The ship's potable water is produced by three large Alfa Laval multi-effect flash evaporating desalination plants.